Tata, Airbus opens C295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility in India

Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus have opened a new Final Assembly Line (FAL), in India, to produce C295 transport aircraft. 

According to a press release, published on October 28, 2024, the facility, located in Vadodara, Gujarat, India, was opened by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, and Pedro Sánchez, the President of the Government of Spain. Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, and Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, also attended the inauguration. 

“This advanced facility will manufacture the nation’s first private defense aircraft from the ground up,” Chandrasekaran said. “It will significantly enhance both defense and advanced manufacturing capabilities.” 

“This FAL will propel the advancement of the aerospace industrial ecosystem in the country, unlocking the potential for cutting-edge design, component manufacturing, aircraft assembly and services capabilities across the Indian value chain,” Schoellhorn added. 

This marks the first time a private company is establishing an aircraft manufacturing plant in India. The new facility will combine the production of detailed parts, necessary tools, sub-assemblies, major assemblies, and testing equipment for the C295 aircraft. 

India ordered 56 C295 aircraft in September 2021. According to the agreement, 40 units will be produced and assembled with TASL at this facility, while 16 will be sent to the Indian Air Force in “fly-away” condition from Airbus’ own FAL in Seville, Spain. As of October 2024, six aircraft have already been delivered. 

The making of parts for the C295 aircraft has begun at the Main Component Assembly (MCA) facility in Hyderabad. The components for the first C295 aircraft produced in India have been sent to the Vadodara FAL, where the aircraft will be put together and then handed over to the Indian Air Force by September 2026.  

The C295 transport aircraft is set to replace the aging fleet of 57 Hawker Siddeley HS 748 (also known as Avros-748), which has been in service with the Indian Air Force since the 1960s.  

With a spacious cabin measuring 12.7 meters (41 feet) in length, the C295 offers versatile configurations: it can transport up to 71 personnel, accommodate 48 fully equipped paratroopers, carry 24 stretchers for medical evacuations, or hold five pallets of cargo. Its design is optimized for efficient operations from short and unprepared airstrips, requiring a minimal runway length of only 670 meters (2,200 feet). The post Tata, Airbus opens C295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility in India appeared first on AeroTime.

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